Stironel Smithing
First developed by refugees from the north when they were driven from their lands by the malevolent horse lords, Strionel Smithing is a fast way of producing very magic strong blades that didn’t need much sharpening. History During the Southern Diaspora , the refugees were faced with many dangers, ranging from wild beasts in the hills to minions of the horse lords hunting the refugees down for sport. So they had to create of way of defending themselves from these aggressors. They already had a small selection of warriors who would try to guard the rapidly built forts made at sunset used a shelter for the night, but they were unable to protect the long trains of people that would stretch across the landscape. The refugees then developed Stironel Smithing. The techniques used in creating these weapons were meant to use as little material as possible, while also making the weapons strong and quick to make. The core of the blades is steel, and then that is coated in a thin layer of an iron alloy, which gives the blade its strength and the steel core prevents the blades from denting too much. The manufacture of these blades was also one of the first recorded attempts at mass production. One smith would make the smaller core, then another would cover it in the iron alloy to strengthen it. A third smith would then finish by grinding the blade to a point or giving it a serrated edge, depending on how long they had to prepare the blades. The technique was rediscovered when a team of miners from Féarthailte City dug themselves into a tunnel network built by the refugees when they originally settled in the area. They raided the tunnels for items of value, including a collection of Stironel blades. The blades were eventually found by a group of blacksmiths in Féarthailte City, who eventually discovered the secrets of forging the weapons. They set up a very large school within the city, which attracted many smiths from across the continent to Féarthailte, greatly increasing trade of weapons. The smiths who founded the college eventually became fabulously wealthy and big players in the City. Many became involved in the government of the city, either legally or illegally, but it was mostly for the good of all citizens of Féarthailte. Eventually, after much experimenting at the College, some blacksmiths were able to create Stironel Armour, Stironel Maces, and Stironel Arrows, although the arrows were very ineffective because of the size of the arrowhead. The idea of Stironel Arrows was phased out for the idea of Stironel Bolts for crossbows and ballistas, with the intention of using them on large targets such as horses of war beasts. Stironel Armour was very uncommon because of the difficulty to smith it and the cumbersome nature of it. However, plates Stironel Armour have been known to be used as reinforcement for wood and stone constructions. Characteristics The secrets of Stironel Smithing were discovered when a wizard-in-training used a Mantra on his father’s antique blade. The knowledge revealed to him was then used by his father, a smith known for his shrewdness, to start making these sturdy weapons. Prior to this, it was known that Stironel blades were made with a steel core and iron alloy outer ‘skin’, but the makeup of the alloy were unknown. It was revealed to this boy that the alloy was imbued with a form of Neutral Vent , with its magics refined to their purest physical form added to a mixture of mostly iron and nickel. The weapons and armour are all very strong, durable, but are easily sharpened. When cooled, the metal isn't very mallable.